Chapter one:
The trial
It was the trial of Eren Yeager. He was considered an obvious danger to people as a half human, half titan, and therefore most of those present believed he should die. Armin Arlert did not agree, and neither did a few others. The proceedings lasted a long time, but in the end they were resolved by Captain Levi kicking Eren and telling the crowd that Eren wasn't his enemy, and could be a valuable asset to the Survey Corps. And should Eren turn out a be a danger to humanity, then he, Levi, would kill Eren personally. To Armin's relief, the court agreed and as the crowd began to thin out, he ran to Captain Levi.
As Armin touched the captain's shoulder Levi turned around with his ever sharp gaze. ''What do you want, brat?'' he said. Armin gulped, before he stammered ''Ano, sir. I wanted to th-thank you for saving my f-f-friend back there.'' Levi was taken aback, no one ever said such a thing, not in these matters. He studied the blond boy. He seemed uncommon, actually, he seemed kind of special. He had a slighter build than Levi himself, and apparently his heart was in the right spot, not very strong looking though. ''You were standing next to that girl giving me murderous looks, weren't you?'' Levi asked. Armin blushed before nodding. Levi smiled. ''Tell her that Eren will be fine with us.'' Levi said, and took off.
That evening, after Eren's wounds had been treated, he and captain Levi were dining together. ''Your little friend walked up to me today'' Levi said. Eren looked up. "Mikasa? Why would she do that?" Levi replied ''But that's a girl's name, why would you call him that?'' Now Eren got confused. If it wasn't Mikasa, then it must have been Armin. That seemed odd. ''Oh, then you must mean Armin. Was he blond-haired? What did he say?'' Eren asked. ''He thanked me for saving your ass there. Seemed a bit shy. So, who is he?'' Levi asked.
Eren hesitated before answering: ''Armin Arlert is my best friend, and has been for a very long time. He is extremely talented at thinking of strategies, he came up with the idea of me becoming a titan, to seal up the wall.''
''Did he now? Interesting...'' Levi excused himself for dessert and left. Later that night he was reading the report on the case of Eren Yeager. ''Armin Arlert'', he said thoughtfully.
On a different compound Armin was asleep, vividly dreaming.
Everyone at the trial was talking about Eren. ''Stop it, Eren means well!'' he shouted, but no one seemed to hear him,not even the gloomy looking Mikasa. That is, until he locked eyes with captain Levi. ''Trust me.'' Levi said, and kicked Eren.
Armin sat up straight in bed. ''That was an odd dream'' he whispered to himself and went back to sleep. That very same night Levi visited Eren at the cell he slept in. ''Tomorrow, I would like to have dinner with you and your friends. To celebrate the outcome of your trial.'' Levi said. Eren glared at Levi, while it would be nice to see his best friends again, for some reason he did not trust Levi near Armin, or Mikasa, for that matter.
''OK.'' he agreed curtly, after some giving it some thought.
The next morning, they traveled by horse to the compound where Armin, Mikasa and the other trainees were staying and training. Once they spotted Eren everybody called out at the same time ''Eren!'' ''Welcome back!'' ''Good to see you again!''. Everyone was glad to see him again, even Jean.
As Levi dismounted, his eyes met with Armin's, who couldn't make himself break eye-contact. There was something captivating in the captain's eyes. In the end Levi smiled and walked up to Armin, who greeted him properly. ''Captain, it is an honour...'' he started. ''Don't be a fool, my name is Levi'' Levi told him and smiled. ''Tonight, because of the favourable outcome at court yesterday, we're celebrating with a dinner. Since the brat, ehr, Eren, told me you're his best friend, I'd like to invite you to join us.'' Levi told him, ''The br, ..Eren is inviting Mikasa as well.'' Armin smiled in response, ''I would love to come, Levi-heichou, I'll make sure to get permission.'' he promised.
Meanwhile, Eren said to Mikasa, ''I swear, he is up to something. He asked whether you and Armin could join, but he didn't even know your name! I don't trust him, we must keep up our guard, Armin's too trusting.'' Mikasa replied, ''I'm worried as well, he never even saw us before, and now he wants to hang out? I don't trust that snobby midget, if he tries anything funny, we'll attack him. He probably can't handle us both... can he?''
''Well, all set to go.'' Levi said, as he approached with Armin. Mikasa gave Levi a blank stare, huffed and told Eren she was going to get changed before dinner. The rest of the crew had gone back to minding their own business again. Armin gave Eren a hug. ''I am so glad the trial went well, Eren'' Armin said with a soft voice. Eren hugged him back. ''I'm rather happy myself.'' he said flippantly, while glaring at Levi, who just shrugged and went to check on the horses.
''I heard you even thanked Captain Levi'' Eren said. Armin nodded and said, ''It seemed the proper thing to do, considering he saved your life, don't you think?'' As Eren broke the hug he said, "Those kicks were rather enthousiastic though, I'm not sure I trust him all the way."
After Mikasa got dressed, they all mounted up and headed of towards wall Sina. They made good progress initially, but an hour's ride from the wall, Armin noticed something wrong with his horse and called out to the others: ''Wait up! Something' s wrong with my horse.'' After dismounting, he discovered his horse had lost one of it's shoes. ''I am sorry, but we will have to slow down. I will have to walk my horse, she has lost a shoe'' Armin explained. ''That is inconvenient. That way we won't make it in time'' Levi told them. ''Don't worry Levi, Armin and I will ride double. That way we will make it in time. And even if we don't, it doesn't matter, as long as I get to spend time with Mikasa and Armin'' he said. Armin gratefully smiled and allowed Eren to pull him on the horse.
Levi nodded assent, but somehow he was uncomfortable with this solution. They continued their way to wall Sina. The remainder of the trip was uneventfull. ''See, we made it in time'' Eren teased, as they arrived at the gates of Sina. Levi grumbled as they dismounted. ''Thank you, Eren'' Armin said. ''No biggie, you would have done the same thing.'' Eren said and winked. Armin blushed as they stabled the horses and walked to the restaurant. The restaurant wasn't a grand affair, but rather cozy and atmospheric.
Levi had reserved a table for them. The waitress showed them their seats and they sat down. She took their drink orders and gave them their menu's. Levi sat opposite Armin, with Eren to his left, and Mikasa to his right. ''Sorry for the long trip, but it is the cleanest kitchen that I am aware of, and therefore I refuse to eat anywhere else, besides my own place.'' Levi told them. Eren was aware of how much of a neat freak the captain really was. It made Eren wonder why his cell was so messy.
''No matter, I'm just glad Eren made it out of the trial alive'' Mikasa said and then glowered at Levi. ''If you ever kick my brother like that again, you'll regret it'' she told him. Levi decided not to reply to that. The waitress returned and asked them whether they were ready to order. Armin looked at Levi nervously, ''Can we order anything on the menu?'' he asked. Levi nodded, ''Take whatever you like.'' he said. Reassured, everyone ordered their favorite dish, while Mikasa quickly studied the menu again, and picked the most expensive items she could find. The waitress jotted down their orders, and just as she disappeared into the kitchen, Levi said ''You do realize escargots are snails, right?'' Mikasa nodded, as she shuddered inside. ''Of course, I am not a fool.'' she huffed. ''OK, wouldn't want you to make a mistake.'' Levi said and then raised his glass. ''To Eren, and his continued usefulness to the Survey Corps." "To Eren!" , they all echoed.
They chatted about the compound, about their friends, like Sasha, and her obsession for potatoes. And how Jean secretly had missed Eren, even though he would never admit. And how everyone had progressed in their training. Levi felt left out by the sudden cameraderie, the unfamiliar names and events he had never been a part off. Just as Levi realised that this was something that Eren needed, and decided not to interupt the conversation, Armin turned to him and said ''Isn't this awfully boring for you, Cap-...Levi? I mean, you probably never heard of these people.''
"I'm always interested to learn about the progress of our potential recruits and their level of readiness'' Levi replied. Armin smiled and said ''Then you must be very glad Eren joined the corps early, right?'' Levi was spared an answer by the waitress's reappearance. Everyone was silent for awhile as they enjoyed their food.
''This is way better than the food we usually get at the compound'' Eren said full of enthousiasm. Armin nodded vigorously, Mikasa less so, and Levi just smiled. As their hunger was blunted, they again became more talkative, and as the evening progressed their spirits rose. Eren once more began to speak about the ocean and how they would one day walk it's shores. ''Ocean?'' Levi asked.
"We were raised in a small town, behind the towering wall of Maria. We used to read books, to learn what it would be like to go outside. And we loved reading about the ocean. We are eager to see it one day'' Armin said, with a blush of excitement on his face. Eren smiled and pulled Armin closer to him. ''And one day, we will see it!'' he promised Armin. Levi frowned, ''You'll have to fight your way through an awful lot of titans'' he told them. They went thoughtfull at that and ate in silence for a while, as they considered the dangers present in the realisation of their dreams.
After they finished the main course, the waitress came by offering desserts. ''Hey, it's getting a bit late, but I would hate to skip dessert. Do you guys mind staying over at the compound?'' Eren offered, neglecting to ask permission. Levi was about to object, but the brats were interesting, or at least, their vision about the ocean was, so he decided to let it go.
Mikasa, focused on the dessert card, replied distractedly; ''I suppose we can... what's an omelet Siberienne?''
''Could we use a messenger pigeon to let our instructor know we're safely inside?'' Armin asked. Levi considered for a moment, but decided there were sufficient pigeons in the coops he could use one for private purposes. "Sure, we can spare one." he replied. Armin smiled his thanks.
''So, how do you like your new compound?'' Mikasa asked Eren. Before he could reply he slept on the ground in a cell, Levi interrupted; ''Eren's room isn't quite finished yet, so we share a room, it's large enough to accommodate four. I'll ask Hanji for extra matresses.'' Mikasa glared at Levi, saying; ''I believe I asked Eren a question, don't you think it's rude when people answer for others, Armin?'' Armin squirmed at Mikasa's rudeness but kept silent.
''Well, anyway, it's settled'' Eren said. After dessert, as they went for their coats, they heard Levi say; ''The Survey Corps will cover the bill'' to the waitress, making Mikasa regret her dinner choice even more.
They retrieved their horses and walked to the compound, where Levi told Hanji they would need sleeping arrangements for four instead of the regular situation. Levi offered to give them a tour of the compound while their room was prepared. They started by stabling the horses. As they stabled the horses, Armin asked about the titans that he had seen when they entered the compound. Before Levi could answer, Eren said ''Miss Hanji is researching them, she has named them Sonny and Bean.'' Levi continued by saying ''By observing them she hopes to learn more about the nature of the titans. You can talk to her tomorrow if you'd like to'' Armin smiled and said, ''That sounds interesting.''
Then Levi led them to the dining hall. ''It is really clean in here'' Mikasa noted as Armin nodded. ''Levi is a real neat freak'' Eren told them. If Levi's glare could kill, Eren would have been dead then and there. Mikasa yawned, as Armin asked ''It's getting kind of late, could we delay the rest of the tour until tomorrow?'' Levi was tired as well, but knew Hanji was still preparing their beds. ''We could take a quick shower, then head of to bed'' he told them. ''I told you, he is a freaking neat freak'' Eren whispered as they headed of to the showers.
After they showered, they went to Levi's room and crawled into their were all far too tired to chat before sleeping so Levi turned the light off and they fell asleep. After a couple of hours Armin began to dream.
''We are gathered here for the trial of Eren Yeager, who is accused of being a titan'' an older man said. Armin wanted to say something, but had lost the ability to speak. Eren was a good person, even if he had become a titan. It did save them, and it was his suggestion that Eren's increased strenght could be used to plug the hole in the Wall. The trial soon turned chaotic as everyone started shouting. Armin looked around, helplessly. Couldn't anyone help his friend?
Then his eyes met the gaze of a serious looking young man. And as if he seemed to understand what Armin wanted, he nodded and mouthed ''Trust me''. Then he raised his hand and silence fell over the court. ''It is my belief, that even though this brat has the ability to become a titan, finding him guilty won't help you. If anything, this trial should anger him.'' Then he gave Eren some vicious kicks , before stating Eren wasn't his enemy and asked the old man if the same was true for him.
Armin shot up and looked around. It was dawn, and while Eren and Mikasa were still fast asleep, Levi's bed was empty. Armin got up and took extra care in making as little noise as possible leaving the room. He had been too tired to notice last night, but the building was huge, it made him feel a little insecure and he wasn't really sure why he had gotten up.
Armin's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of approaching feet, then a door opened, and a girl came through. She made eye contact and asked ''Who are you?'' ''I'm Armin, a friend of Eren's, we were invited by Heichou to stay over.'' ''Oh, Levi mentioned something about eating with Eren and his friends. Didn't know you guys would stay over. Can I help you with anything, you look kind of lost?'' she asked.
''Thanks, I noticed Heichou wasn't sleeping anymore and wondered where he went'' The girl smiled ''He is probably cleaning, or preparing breakfast. I'll take you to him.'' she said as she motioned him to follow her. ''Thank you, ehr...'' Armin stammered. ''Petra'' the girl said. She led him to the kitchen, where Levi was, cleaning.
''Heichou, this guy was looking for you.'' Petra said, making Levi look up. He was suprised to see Armin next to Petra. ''I am going to the titans, my turn to babysit the little runts.'' she said to Levi, and took off. Once again silence fell over the room. ''Eren mentioned you liked cleaning, do you get up this early every morning, to clean?'' Armin asked. Levi continued cleaning and nodded as he asked: ''Why were you looking for me?''
Armin hestitated before answering, after all, he wasn't sure himself why he was. ''I got up early after having a disturbing dream, and noticed you were gone. I guess I wanted to make sure nothing bad had happened around here'' Armin said while smiling nervously. Levi stopped cleaning, and looked at the blond boy. ''A disturbing dream?'' he asked. Armin nodded. ''Like a nightmare?'' Levi asked. Armin shook his head. ''Not really, Heichou. I dreamt about the trial. I've done that a lot lately, dreaming about the trial. Maybe my subconsciousness is trying to process what happened.'' Levi eyed Armin before getting closer and putting his arm around Armin's shoulder. ''As I've told you before, I have a name.'' he admonished. Armin gulped before saying ''I am sorry Heich- I mean, Levi.'' as he turned an entirely new crimson hue. Levi wondered why he found the boy's shyness so endearing, in general, he detested the dreamy type. Before Levi could finish this train of thought, they heard a strangled scream coming from outside.